


Fate and Entropy

by LittleBlackDragon



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autistic Original Character(s), But Some People Still Die, Canon-Typical Violence, Dimension Travel, Explicit Language, F/M, Fair Warning that Nyx/OC is a Sideship and not Endgame, Sexual Content, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-05 14:13:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13389516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBlackDragon/pseuds/LittleBlackDragon
Summary: Sometimes things can happen inexplicably, and sometimes the best laid plans go awry.Joey Mcgill went to bed one night, waking up to a world not her own. She was sure she knew she'd never been to a place like it. Yet somehow it seemed familiar to her, and for some reason she couldn't figure out why.For some reason, she felt like she was forgetting something.Little did she know she would remember later that it was because she had seen this all before. Only it was all a story before.But, she was a part of that story now. It seemed like it was beginning much the same. The question was: must it follow the same path, to the same end?





	1. Prologue: Near the Fated Hour

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! It's been a long time since I've posted a fic to AO3. A few month shy of three years now, I think. I have been writing, but I kinda took an unintended break from fic writing and mostly did text-based RPs for a while. In any case, this fic has been in the planning stages for a while and I'm very excited to share this story with everyone. 
> 
> Special thanks to my tumblr friends Rachel and Honey, who took the time to beta the prologue and the first chapter. Your help and feedback are greatly appreciated (and I admire you both as writers,too :3).

The darkness made the grounds around the temple much more foreboding, the complex itself an ominous centerpiece. Glare from the headlights of the car created a path to the stairs, which winded downward into the ground. Over the stairs stood an arch, elegant symbols carved into the stonework. One might think it looked more like a gateway to the Underworld than a place where a lowly mortal could commune with the Gods.

 

This would be the moment of truth. The moment when she would know what fruit her labors would bear. But the Gods seemed to have their own agenda when it came to things, and even after going to all the trouble she had, she didn’t know if they would even answer her plea.

 

_A prayer for deliverance._

 

But she had fought for this chance. Whether she liked the answer that awaited her on the other side or not, she would not turn back now.

 

“I found it! The map fell under the seat.”

 

The bright tenor voice in the back seat brought her attention back to her surroundings and to the two men with her in the car.

 

“Oh, good. Ignis would have been unhappy considering all the trouble he went to in finding that.” she replied. “Thank you, Prompto.”

 

“No problem.”

 

Her eyes fell to the man next to her, then to the one in the back seat. _One year alone was enough to change them, but ten? Timeskips were simply not a thing in reality. Not for_ _most_ _people, at any rate._

 

“I only hope the wards will be enough to keep the daemons away for a while. I tried to make them more potent so time wouldn’t be a factor, but these days I’m wary of any mishap that could arise.”

 

“I don’t blame you. I heard when the two of you went off last time you had some unexpected company. But that’s why I came along, yeah?”

 

There was a long pause.

 

“...Yeah.”

 

The man next to her turned his head, furrowing his brow.

 

“Are you sure we can’t come in with you? Even with the wards up, you might still face some trouble down there.”

 

She put her hand on his for a moment, patting it reassuringly.

 

“I’m sorry. But only one person can be in the main chamber and perform the rite,” she told him regrettably. “I did ask though. I am more concerned about you and Prompto, especially if something with the wards goes awry. I don’t want the two of you staying around waiting for me if the two of you get attacked.”

 

He smirked, “The two of us will be just fine.”

 

She laughed softly. “I suppose I have seen the two of you take on a great deal when the rest of us were knocked out of the ring. As for me, I’ll be alright Gladio. Ten years has given me plenty of practice in how to defend myself.”

 

Prompto handed her the map from behind. The man next to her took a deep breath and picked up a bag from underneath his seat.

 

“It may be my job to protect the King, but I’ll be damned if I let something happen to you too.” He clutched the bag a moment, looking at the contents pensively. “Just promise you’ll be careful?”

 

Her hands hovered over his a moment, sliding past them as she took the bag.

 

“That, I can do.”

 

She took a steadying breath. There was a distinct possibility that depending on how this communion went, she _might_ not be coming back in one piece.

 

_But if her efforts weren’t in vain, she would consider it a fair trade for what she wanted._

 

She wanted to tell him not to wait up for her if she took too long. But no, for their sake…for the people she had taken this long journey with, she would try to come back alive.

 

“I’ll be back. May the Six watch over you.”

 

After another pause, she took another breath, opening the door of the car and stepping out. With some care, she shut it behind her, taking one last look at the two men in the car.

 

_It’s a shame Ignis had to stay behind…but I hope I can come back for his sake too. He’s lost enough already. They’ve all lost enough already._

 

_I promise I’ll repay all of you. For all these years, and for having me at your side._

 

She slung her bag across her shoulder, safe at her side for the walk. She started toward the stairs and began her descent. A small flame cradled in her hand lit the way down, her only companion for the several flights she would descend until she reached the bottom.

 

The walls around her had fragments of paint and etchings, worn away by time to the point one could not recognize what they once depicted or meant. But as she walked, she wondered what might have been there, what had been lost.

 

At last, she came to a landing with a massive door barred by a large ornate lock. The symbols of the Astrals adorned it, surrounded by worn depictions of mountains, waves, lightning, and flames. The keyhole itself lay dead center among it all, shaped like the brightest of stars in the sky.

 

She sucked in a sharp breath.

 

Shuffling through her bag, she pulled out a large stonework star, much resembling the keyhole before her. The key itself was perhaps the most troublesome of the things she had needed to find for this undertaking. The thing that required the most care in keeping away from those who would see this effort fail.

 

_No, she couldn’t think about that now. This was for Noctis._

 

She pushed the star into the keyhole, a large thudding sound following. It took several moments, hearing gears and clanking sounds before the door gave way and slowly creaked open for her to pass through.

 

_The hardest to acquire, but only required for a moment’s use._

 

A pitch-black hallway was waiting for her, and it seemed to go on longer than her sight could see. Holding out her flame in front of her, she continued on though she could feel a chill creeping up her back. Even now, she still didn’t like the dark. Ten years of being in the midst of it didn’t dissuade her from the fear of complete and utter black.

 

Courage was not the absence of fear though. It was merely the strength and will to persist in spite of that fear. Remembering that was certainly helpful as her steps created eerie echoes and she began down the hallway.

 

She had been to several temples throughout this journey. They had ranged from simple and out of the way to grand and marvelous. But they were all the same in one respect, and that was how the walk to the goal was a long one. Was it intentional that they were designed that way, or was it simply a coincidence?

 

This place was no different. There was the long walk, down further along a path of darkness, with only her fire to light the way. Her eyes flitted about looking for fiends and other creatures that might be prowling around in the dark. Some of the temples before had them. One was utterly _infested_. But there was one where there were none.

 

She kept her fire burning bright, illuminating the shadows.

 

At last, she came upon the end of the hall and another large set of doors. The visage of one of this world’s six gods adorned this one, his sword making up the handles of the door.

 

Her hands reached for the handle, struggling to pull them open as they were very heavy. Whatever type of stone they were made of, it was incredibly thick. She was nothing if not determined though. After all, she had come so far for this.

 

_For the chance to change Fate._

 

Slowly but surely, the doors opened just enough for her to squeeze into the chamber before her. She pulled her bag in after her, stepping carefully as she held out the ball of fire in her hand.

 

The Chamber was quite vast, with a smooth almost reflective floor. The ceiling was a long way up, but with how the walls curved up in the room, she guessed it was vaulted. In the center of the room laid a bare, slanted stone altar with indentations across the top. Five of them, to be exact.

 

_Well then. Even as old as this place was, it was built after one of the six gods was cast down._

 

Her eyes fell to her bag for a moment.

 

“Alright, it’s showtime.”

 

She stepped forward, unhooking the clasps from the bag and opening it up, retrieving a set of stones roughly the size and shape of the indentations in the altar. Each had a different symbol: a rock, a cloud, a wave, a snowflake, and a sword. One by one, she placed them into the indentations in the altar.

 

“The Archaean, the Fulgurian, the Hydraean, the Glacian, and…the Draconian. That’s everyone that needs to be here,” She sighed, “I sure hope this is right.”

 

A deep breath, and she took at her phone, reciting a phrase written in a text message as she placed her right hand in the center of the altar below the stones. Though she was uncertain of what was to transpire, she would not falter, and it came through in the manner she recited those beckoning words.

 

“ _Come oh Titan of the land,_

_Who holds a cataclysm in his hands._

 

_Come oh Ramuh of sky and storm,_

_to answer prayer of mortal born._

 

_Come oh Shiva of frozen snow,_

_With gentler hands that ease one’s woes._

 

_Come oh Leviathan of the sea,_

_From the tides of Destiny._

 

_Come oh Bahamut of steel and war,_

_Who reigns with the gods forever more.”_

 

As the words came, the altar began to glow with a dull green light which began to spread, slowly changing to blue, and then slowly into violet as it threaded out and created lines down to the floor.

 

“ _Of you who are divine I call thee now,_

_To hear my plea or prayer or vow!_

 

_Thine visage I show to prove my word,_

… _So that I, mere mortal, may be heard.”_

 

A moment passed.

 

Silence.

 

She waited, watching as the thread of light crept across the floor. Then suddenly, they shot out, and the whole room became awash with light, so bright that she was forced to shield her eyes a moment. Unable to see, she could not tell that in a few moments, she would no longer be alone down in that temple.

 

A voice called out, echoing:

 

“… _ **Speak, then. The fated time for the King of Kings to ascend the throne is nearly at hand.”**_


	2. Chapter 1: As One Day Ends, Another Begins

Night always came sooner in the dead of winter. Outside the window was a thick blanket of snow, with more swirling down from above. The wind was harsh, howling. Such a scene at six o’clock made venturing out not a particularly inviting prospect. Joey pressed her hand to the wall next to the window, an icy frame to the outdoor landscape.

 

Even inside, it was far too cold. _Seemed it was time to turn on the space heater and perhaps put on a sweatshirt._

 

The latter was easy enough as she pulled on the loose fitting gray and white hoodie draped over her chair. She yawned, shifting to the side to stand up from her desk to turn on the small contraption sitting at the far end of her room. A swift click of the switch, and warm air began to flow quietly into the room, making her sigh in relief.

 

“ _Ah_ , much better.”

 

Joey had been planning on making a run out for a few supplies. _But in this weather, when it was this dark already?_ No, she much preferred the idea of staying in tonight. She would need to make do with what was on hand in the house.

 

But she didn’t consider that a bad prospect. Joey had the house to herself that night and she enjoyed the solitude, especially before a long day of work. The question remained though. _If I’m not going to go out, how am I going to spend my evening in? Well…after I feed the cats. I need to do that first._

 

No sooner had she started to get herself situated back in her chair however, than she heard the house phone begin to ring loudly from the nightstand behind her. Sighing at the interruption, Joey once again rose from her seat, hurrying to grab the phone.

 

“Hello, this is the Mcgill Residence,” she greeted in a slightly more chipper tone of voice.

 

“Hi, Johanna, this is your dad.” The recognizable and gruff voice of her father came from the other end of the line.

 

She leaned slightly, twirling the cord of the phone in her hand. “Oh, hey dad. What’s up? Everything okay?”

 

“Everything’s fine. Your mother and I are having a good time at game night. But I forgot that I needed to take out the meat for tomorrow night. Could you take care of that before you go to bed?”

 

Joey had to prevent herself from sighing. It was a common habit she and her father both shared - forgetting the little things. Though Joey was a bit better at it with the help of her smartphone, constantly updating her calendar and memos with little reminders.

 

“Sure, I’ll go take care of that now.” She replied. “I’ll need to feed Gandalf and Nemo soon anyway.”

 

“Thank you,” her father replied, simply. “Oh, Johanna. Susan Johnson mentioned that her son, David, is considering starting a Dungeons and Dragons group. She was hoping you might talk to him and find out if you would be interested in joining.”

 

She paused, thinking for a moment to remember the name and the person that went with it. Susan Johnson, a friend of her parents from the church her father went to. _David and I used to play pretend a lot when we were kids, didn’t we? But we haven’t seen or spoken to each other in_ _ **years**_ _._

 

“I didn’t even know David still lived in town. I…suppose I could give him a call. Does he have a number?”

 

“Sure, I can bring you the number when we get home,” her father said. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

 

“Okay. See you, Dad.” Joey said her goodbye, hearing her father say a similar phrase in turn before she hung up the phone. She rapped her fingers against the nightstand a moment, reflecting on the conversation that just happened.

 

She was lucky enough to have finally landed full-time work. But she still couldn’t afford to move out yet, and work left her too tired to go out and socialize often unless she had to. Her parents had been concerned about that. At twenty-five, she was finally slowly starting to put something of a life together. But she didn’t keep up all that much with old friends, many of them having moved too far away or having been too busy to meet up.

 

“ _We’re worried it’s leaving you isolated”_ , she remembered them saying. “ _It’s good you keep contact with some of your friends online, but you need people in real life too. Especially since you had a really rough year last year. You need all the support you can get so you can move on from that.”_

 

Joey would certainly like to have friends she spent time with like she used to. It was easier said than done though. It wasn’t as easy a thing to do outside of the setting of a school or college.  It was made all the more difficult by the fact she was autistic, which made social interaction difficult by itself. It seemed like her parents didn’t understand the frustration that came with all of that, and that was frustrating in and of itself.

 

She shuffled out of her room, swiftly hopping down the stairs to the basement to get a package of ground pork from the freezer. Joey heard the soft tapping of paws across the floor as she pulled out the meat, transferring it to the bottom shelf of the fridge where it would slowly thaw overnight.

 

“ _Mew?"_

 

Joey looked around and saw the two rather large family cats, looking at her expectantly from her feet. A large orange shorthair named Gandalf, and a siamese, Nemo, each tilted their heads to the side.

 

“ _Mrow! Meow mow!"_

 

“Keep your pants on guys. Dinner’s coming,” Joey replied as she pulled a can of cat food from the cupboard.

 

“ _Mrooooow!_ ”

 

Each cat watched her intently as she opened the can and divided it between their dishes in the back of the kitchen. Both eagerly ran in and began devouring their meal.

 

Once again, Joey found herself pondering the question of how she was going to spend her evening. She wasn’t particularly hungry so she wouldn’t make her own dinner for a while yet. Her eyes turned back to her bedroom, considering a few options. After a moment her mind settled on something.

 

_I should play a game tonight. I haven’t pulled out my PlayStation 4 in a while since I’ve been breaking in the Nintendo Switch saved up for this past Christmas._ A hard find that one was, as those consoles tended to sell out rather quickly.

 

Joey returned to her bedroom, hearing the dull rumble of the space heater still going. She went over to the bookshelf next to her TV, and started pulling off a few of the games lining the shelves.

 

“Now, let’s see…Dragon Age: Inquisition, Persona 5, Dishonored…”

 

As she was pulling games out, one nearly slipped past her grip and she let out a yelp. Quickly, she swooped down and grabbed it, the case just barely having avoided hitting the floor.

 

“ _Phew._ ”

 

She turned it over, realizing it was her copy of Final Fantasy XV.

 

Joey smiled a moment. It was a game she’d gotten into because of a friend, but she had unexpectedly fallen in love with the game’s engrossing world and interesting cast of characters, and a story that tugged at her heartstrings. Sure, there were _some_ things she wish had ended differently, but it was definitely a tale she wouldn’t mind revisiting.

 

“Well, I suppose I could pull you out for another run. After all, Episode Ignis came out not too long ago. With what else is coming out for this…maybe I really _should_ get another playthrough in.”

 

That seemed to settle it. Joey carefully put the others games back, and plopped herself back into her desk chair, pressing the button to power up her console and turning on her TV.  Slowly, the screen turned blue, greeting her with a login screen. Quickly, she pressed the button on her controller to log her in, only to be greeted with a notification that her console needed to update.

 

“Now?” she muttered, flipping through the screens to get the update started on downloading and installing.

 

Joey was greeting with a white progress bar, with the time remaining listed.

 

_2 hours remaining._

 

She rolled her eyes, setting her game and controller off to the side.

 

“Seriously? I decide I want to play a game and NOW we’re going to do a big update? What am I supposed to do for two hours!?”

 

She wasn’t hungry. She didn’t feel like playing any other games. She wasn’t going out, and she didn’t feel like…doing much of anything really. She just wanted to play the game, and she couldn’t do that until the update was done.

 

_Well, what now?_

 

Joey huffed, getting up from her chair and flopping over on her bed. The sound of the ambient music from the TV filled her ears. By now, the space heater had warmed up the room enough that she felt comfortable, and she found herself shifting and lazily reaching over, flipping the switch to turn it off.

 

With the room warm, covered in a sweatshirt and hearing soothing music, it was hard for her to stay annoyed. In fact, she felt rather peaceful. Her body started to relax and she felt her eyes drooping a bit.

 

_Maybe if I took a nap, I’d wake up when the download finished. I’d be able to start playing by then. I also might be hungry enough to fix myself something quick for dinner. Besides it might download faster than it says._

 

Winter was perhaps that time of year Joey found it the easiest to drift off to sleep. A day at work, combined with the cold outside made the invitation of a warm bed and restful slumber all too enticing for her. She was not a stranger to taking naps, but winter was the season where she took them the most.

 

Joey turned her face into the mattress, grabbing a pillow and haphazardly curling up with it. If it was just a nap, she didn’t really feel like properly getting into bed and pulling up all her covers. If she did that, she worried she might fall asleep and not wake up again until morning. But, she knew herself well enough that if she didn’t cover up too heavily, she wouldn’t sleep too long.

 

_Boy, a nap seemed like just the right thing right now._

 

Quickly, she felt her eyes becoming heavier, warmth and darkness enveloping her until she drifted off into sleep. The music continued to play; the progress bar slowly filling, minute by minute. Time passed and as Joey slept, she was completely enveloped in quiet dreams, unaware of the world around her.

 

She expected nothing more than a pleasant night alone at home, with a game she enjoyed and maybe a nice hot meal to eat. That her life was continuing on this slow, gradual course into a new chapter as one year was slowly being left behind and another was getting underway, one day at a time.

 

She was unaware that as she slept, something extraordinary was beginning. Unaware of the mechanisms of the universe at work, in ways that were beyond what was familiar to the common human on earth. Of suddenly fading away to be carried elsewhere.

 

Joey Mcgill was unaware of it all, of unseen forces that enveloped her and carried her away not to a world of dreams, but another world entirely.

 

* * *

 

 

At first there was only black. But she felt a variety of sensations. Joey felt herself falling, tumbling, reaching out into nothing and only descending. She opened her mouth, but no sound came forth. It was as though she was in the void and there was nothing in the void. Only silence.

 

_I-I’m falling! I’m falling, I’m falling! I’m-! No, no this is a dream, I’m dreaming!_

 

She felt herself flailing, struggling, but feeling like she was in air thick as stew. Maybe not even air. Maybe water, or something thicker still. _Like ink._

 

Then she felt something like a rush of wind pushing against her, followed by something thwacking against her head. But she couldn’t open her eyes.

 

...It was all so dark and she couldn’t open her eyes. She couldn’t hear anything at all.

 

That’s all there was. Joey had dreams like this every once in a while, where she could feel things. But she would be deprived of her others senses, only feeling the touch of things that weren’t there. But she could see nothing, and hear nothing.

 

Until all at once her ears were filled with the sound of wind rushing past, of birds chirping and the blare of car horns. There was sound coming all at once and what was nothing but black suddenly turned bright orange, like there was a bright light just beyond.

 

“Miss? Miss, are you alright? Miss?”

 

She heard someone’s voice, suddenly very close to her. Someone she didn’t think she recognized.  But it was very gentle and low. She felt something hard against her back and her body felt very stiff.

 

_I must be dreaming,_ she thought. _I’ll just go back to sleep._

 

“Miss, please wake up!”

 

Again, Joey thought this was all part of the dream she was having and simply ignored it all. But she could no longer ignore it when she felt the sensation of a hand starting to reach under her back to support her weight, beginning to lift her.

 

_Off the…ground?_

 

At that moment her eyes shot open.

 

“Wh-What?” It was the only word she could manage to get out when the sight that greeted her was not that of her bedroom. Instead, she was assaulted in all of her senses with sights, sounds, and smells that were nothing like what she was expecting.

 

The scene before her was an alleyway in broad daylight. The weather was mild, neither too warm or cold. There wasn’t a speck of snow in sight. Cars were rushing by in the street. A few people were walking this way and that, a couple of them looking with curious eyes in her direction. To her other side was a building with what look like a small set of steps and a little wooden door, and a toppled little blackboard, clattering just at the foot of the steps.

 

_A cafe sign?_

 

Then it finally registered that she was being held by someone, as whomever it was began to put her back down onto her feet very, _VERY_ carefully. She heard a heavy sigh come from behind her, looking down slightly to see a hand on her shoulder for the slightest of seconds.

“Thank goodness you’re awake. For a moment it looked like you were unconscious. I was just about to look for someone to call an ambulance!”

 

All the new information hitting her all at once was too much, and for a moment Joey found herself unable to speak. She felt a distinct pain in her head, and all she could really think about was try to process what was happening.

 

“Miss, please, are you okay? I don’t want to leave you here until you talk to me first.”

 

“I-I’m not okay. P-please, can I have a minute? Please?” She found herself hastily replying, trying to take a deep breath but struggling to do so. She slowly started to turn around, to see who it was was was holding her before and speaking to her just now.

 

“It’s okay. Take your time. Can you tell me your name?”

 

“Joey,” she mumbled.“My name is Joey. This, um…this isn’t my bedroom.”

 

She thought for a moment, trying to form thoughts while struggled against the overload of sensations that were coming at her.

 

“I d-don’t…I don’t recognize this place. G-god, how did I end up here of all places?”

 

No, she must still be in a dream somehow. But, how could she be sure? It all felt like it was real. Especially the _throbbing_ in her head.

 

“Okay Joey, take deep breaths. It’s all going to be alright. You’re at the corner of 7th Street and Lazarus Avenue in the Palace district. Do you remember where you were last?”

 

Joey furrowed her brow, utterly bewildered by the information just shared with her. She’d never heard of a street referred to ‘Lazarus’. She blinked, finally looking in the direction of the person speaking to her, finding herself even more confused.

 

And perhaps a _tad_ flustered.

 

In front of her was a man that she had never met before, and yet there was a scratching in the back of her mind that was telling her he looked familiar somehow. But that couldn’t be right as she had never seen anybody like him in her entire life.

 

He was tall, slightly muscular, had the beginnings of a beard and was wearing a t-shirt and denim jacket and jeans. But what stood out was a rather unusual haircut that looked a little like a mullet shaved on either side with braids trailing down. Joey was pretty sure she never met anyone with a haircut like that. But strangely enough, it looked _good_ on him.

 

Joey realized she hadn’t answered his question and found herself nervously stammering, struggling to get the words out.

 

“I-I-I w-was in my b-bedroom, sleeping. B-but then I was here. U-um...” She remembered he told her only a moment ago to take deep breaths. Shakily, she inhaled, trying to collect herself. “I’m a little confused. You said 7th and Lazarus. And something about a…palace district. Stop me if this sounds like a weird question but, what city are we in?”

 

The man furrowed his brow.

 

“We’re still in Insomnia, if that’s what you’re worried about. But, is that right? You were sleeping in your bed and you woke up here?”

 

Joey felt a chill crawl up her spine. Insomnia…that name seemed familiar but again, she couldn’t place it. No, no that couldn’t be right. There wasn’t any place she knew of called Insomnia. _Who on earth would name a city after not being able to sleep?_

 

More importantly though, Insomnia was not the answer she was looking for. She had been looking for the name of _HER_ home city. And Insomnia certainly was _NOT_ it.

 

“That’s right. Oh God, how did I wind up here…I…” She paused for a moment. “I should go to a police station. Something is very wrong here.” She kept trying to take deep breaths, lungs seizing in panic.

 

“I was going to suggest a hospital, but if what you say is true that might not be a bad idea. There’s actually one just a short distance away from here. Maybe I can take you there at least?”

 

“Thank you, but I don’t want to be a bother. If you gave me directions I can probably find my way there myself,” she paused, hesitating. “Um…I’m sorry, I never asked your name.”

 

An expression of concern was plain enough on the man’s face that Joey could see it, telling he was not about to easily just let her go.

 

“Nyx,” he answered simply. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? If you’re disoriented it might be a bad idea to just go in alone.”

 

Joey shook her head. “I’m sure you have somewhere you need to be. I don’t want to keep you.”

 

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be a bother, and right now you look like you could use the help.”

 

She averted her gaze, hesitant to answer. In truth, she appreciated the kindness of this stranger, but right now she was an utter mess and she wanted more time to collect her thoughts and take in everything that was happening. She was still mostly convinced that she was dreaming, even if all sensation around her was very convincing to the contrary.

 

Joey nervously looked around again. She seemed to no longer be drawing stares. Her shoes clicked against the ground as she tapped her foot, trying hard to make a decision.

 

After several moments, Joey found herself reaching for an answer.

 

“O-Okay, Nyx. If it’s really not a bother, then your help would be i-immensely appreciated. Thank you.”

 

His expression shifted, appearing somewhat relieved that she’d accepted his help.

 

“It’s no trouble, really. It’s just a few blocks east. Just stay close.” He paused, “Do you need any more time to catch your breath before we go?”

 

Joey blinked. _Was it really that obvious she was that overwhelmed?_

 

“Maybe just a minute.”

 

_Good heavens, if this was a dream, it was_ _ **certainly**_ _one of the strangest ones she’d ever had._


	3. Chapter 2: Awake with Insomnia

The duty of protecting one’s home can mean having to leave it behind. For a soldier, such a concept is merely a fact of existence. For Nyx Ulric, that applied to his life in more ways than one. But as of late it rang true with how often he was away from Insomnia, and how long he’d been away from his original home in Galahd.

  


Today was one of those days where he did not find himself on a mission. The war was still raging, yet even so, he was allowed days of peace such as this. He was planning to meet up with a few of his fellow Glaives later. For now though, he was simply out and about in Insomnia’s Palace district.

  


That was until he caught the alarming sight of a young woman lying sprawled out in an alleyway. Nyx was not one to ignore others who were in need of help, and a woman seemingly passed out as he was walking by? That certainly qualified in his mind.

  


His first thought had been that she’d been attacked or seriously injured, especially when she was unresponsive at first. When he did manage to rouse her, however, what followed replaced his initial concern with another.

  


Her hands trembled as she stumbled over her words. She was turning around in different directions and her eyes were wide. That she was frightened and overwhelmed was readily apparent to him. With what this woman, introducing herself as Joey, told him, her reaction made perfect sense. Who _wouldn’t_ be afraid if they went to bed and woke up somewhere else without an account of how they got there?

  


He supposed it was reasonable another person might be skeptical. But nothing in her body language or how she spoke told him she was being intentionally untruthful. Joey’s current state and her words lined up.

  


In which case, perhaps her wish to go to a police station was a practical one. He might have preferred to take her to a hospital first, but she could walk and had no visible injuries. For now, he was agreeable to her request.

  


Joey was taking him up on his offer to take another moment to catch her breath. She reviewed the course of events in her mind- the last thing she remembered was falling asleep because she was waiting for her Playstation 4 to download an update. She had wanted to play a game. Yet, for reason at the moment she couldn’t remember what game it was that she wanted to play. Joey felt like she _should_ remember it, and yet it escaped her.

 

_W_ _hy?_

  


She remembered dreaming and feeling all sorts of sensations and yet not seeing anything. One clearly standing out being that she felt a sharp _whack_ against her head. _Could that have been it?_ There was still a throbbing feeling in her head, and soreness when she put her fingers to her temple _._

The next thing she knew, she heard a voice, this Nyx’s voice, and she woke up _here_ with him trying to pick her up. Rather daring in her mind, considering she wasn’t the lightest woman around.

  


“So, we’re in a city called Insomnia, in a part of it called the Palace district?” She repeated his words back to him, hoping to reconfirm what he had said.

  


“That’s right.” He nodded, though her choice of words made him raise an eyebrow. “You sound like that’s strange to you. Are you not from Insomnia?”

  


Joey gingerly took her fingers away from her temple. “Most _definitely_ not. I’ve never even heard of it.”

  


Now _that_ answer was a point of concern for Nyx.

 

“Insomnia is one of the largest cities in the world. It’s the crown city of Lucis,” he said, “Yet you’ve never heard of it?”

  


Joey was not the best at reading facial expression, but Nyx’s skeptical tone came across to her. What he said only further made her confused and worried as well.

  


“No... No, I haven’t.” Nevertheless, something was scratching at the back of her mind, this eerie feeling of familiarity with the name. Especially when the phrase “crown city of Lucis” followed. Yet she was _sure_ she’d never heard of such a place. S _uch a place didn’t even exist!_

  


_Right?_

  


“Look, I’m sorry, I just… I understand I probably sound crazy. Maybe I’ll just…” _Maybe she should just apologize and tell him she’ll look for the police station on her own._

  


Joey was unaware of the tears starting to prick at her eyes. Nyx gently reached out a hand, waiting to see if she would take it.

  


“It’s okay. If what you’re telling me is true, you’re really in a mess right now.” His tone was gentle and supportive. He tried to make it clear that he thought she was being truthful, insofar as she knew.

  


“The thing is though, I feel like I should know it somehow. Like maybe I’ve heard it before but somehow I feel like that can’t be right,” she confessed, looking down with embarrassment. “I appreciate the hand but, no, thank you.”

  


Nyx withdrew his hand, nodding slowly. He found that particular response a little more reassuring to himself. At the same time, it brought back his concern she might have a serious injury after all. One that might very well be affecting her memory. The way she had put her hand to her head earlier wasn’t very encouraging, either.

  


“Are you sure you don’t want to go to a hospital first?” He asked again. “You were rubbing your head earlier and I’m concerned you might be hurt.”

  


Joey nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. As for the rubbing my head, it’s just a headache. It’s slightly better now than when I immediately woke up. But if it gets worse or something happens, I promise I’ll tell you. If you insist on it, I will go.”

  


Nyx took a deep breath, assured by her answer. “Fair enough. _I’ll hold you to that._ ”

  


She looked from side to side one last time, turning her attention again to Nyx.

  


“Alright, I think… I think I’m ready to go.”

  


Nyx stood a little straighter, turning around somewhat and giving her a nod to acknowledge her.

“Okay. Remember to stay close. It’s crowded around here.”

  


Joey nodded, following behind him away from the alley. They turned around the corner, walking onto a street that was indeed much more crowded than where they were before.

  


_Goodness,_ Joey thought, _I’ve never seen so many people!_ _Not even in my home city, and I thought that place was big!_

  


The sight and chatter of the crowd was a sensory barrage. Joey attempted to keep her sight on Nyx and stay close, but it seemed the task would be easier said than done. Especially when her mind was still stuck on trying to cope with understanding her circumstances.

  


Certain realities were now beginning to weigh down on her. Her parents were probably worried sick about her, and _damn it she had no phone on her!_ Depending on how far she was, she might have to find some way to call her place of work and tell them she wouldn’t be able to come in. _Assuming this was all real, of course._

  


They were walking for blocks when her gaze turned away for only a moment.

  


“Hey Nyx, I have a question, are you familiar with...”

  


Her voice trailed off as her gaze turned back. She didn’t recognize the person walking in front of her. In fact, when she started looking around, she couldn’t seem to find Nyx in the crowd.

  


“Nyx?” Joey called out, hoping her voice would carry in the crowd. “Nyx!?”

  


She waited a moment, but nobody answered back. Joey felt anxiety twist her stomach.

  


“Nyyyyyx!”

  


When no answer came, she felt worse, anxiety rising from her stomach to her lungs, slightly straining her breathing. She continued walking down to the end of the block, crossing the street.

  


_Where could he have gone? Did he turn back there when I wasn’t looking?_

  


“Nyyyx?” She called, uncertainty coloring her tone.

  


Still no answer. _Great_ , she thought. _Well… maybe she should try to find the police station on her own? No no, she might just get even more lost._

  


Even in her uncertainty, she continued to walk. After a few blocks, sheeventually stopped in front of what looked to be a shop. Her eyes scanned the people walking up and down the way, not seeing any sign of her escort.

  


“He was right there! What am I going to do? I can’t call him,I don’t have his number… or my phone, for that matter,” Joey muttered quietly as her hands checked the pockets of her sweatshirt, as though she weren’t quite sure about what she said. One came to rest in the empty pocket, the other tucking back a loose strand of light golden brown hair from her face.

  


Her fingers once again went to her temple, massaging it to help soothe the pain. It was still there, but slowly dulling away. O _ne good thing, at least._ Her eyes continued to nervously scan for anything familiar. She didn’t quite register a bit of movement off to the side, coming from someone approaching her from the next shop over.

  


“Excuse me. I’m sorry to bother you. A-are you okay?”

  


At first she didn’t recognize she was the one being spoken to, continuing to look off in the other direction.

 

When she felt a tap on the shoulder however, she flinched in surprise and spun around.

  


“Oh! Hey, I didn’t mean to startle you there.”

  


Joey blinked. “No, no, I’m sorry. I just startle easily when someone touches me without warning...”

  


She was greeted by the sight of a man, his rather youthful face painted with clear concern. A hand reached up and rubbed his freckled cheek, brushing away a speck of dust.

  


“I see! I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,” he said, “I was just worried you didn’t hear me when I tried to get your attention is all.”

 

As he was speaking, Joey took a closer look at him. He was tall and sinewy, dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and matching jeans and sneakers, with a band of cloth tied around one arm. But what really drew her attention were how vividly blue his eyes were, and how his blond hair spiked off to one side. Such things couldn’t help but draw her gaze, but at the same time it left her feeling a bit puzzled. Well, his hair did at any rate.

  


_Were unusual hairstyles the norm in this city? No, no, it was just a coincidence,_ she argued with herself. She had no qualms with it, actually finding it to be rather interesting. But it was definitely _not_ what she was used to.

  


“I couldn’t help but notice you were muttering to yourself and you looked, well, like you might be nervous. Are you lost?”

  


Joey’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and she tugged on her skirt as her eyes turned down and away from him.

  


“Oh, I see,” she replied, sighing softly. “Is it that obvious?”

  


“Well, I thought I should ask,” he answered her with a gentle, reassuring smile. “Hey, maybe I can help! Can you tell me what you were looking for?”

  


“Well, I lost the person I was with. He was showing where the-”

 

“Prompto! There you are,” A voice called. “We were worried when you didn’t follow us inside the store.”

  


Joey curiously turned her attention behind the young man to see who had spoken. There were two others approaching from nearby, one that looked to be around his age and the other a little older. He was perhaps closer to Joey’s age, but it was hard for her to tell.

“Prom, why’d you wander off like… oh, I see.”

The younger of the two was shorter, but wiry, with a mess of spiked raven hair. _And bright blue eyes, too_ , Joey noted. He dressed very similarly to the blond, barring he wore a short-sleeved leather jacket over his shirt. The other was taller than the two younger men, a light brunette with hair that was spiky like his fellows, albeit much more orderly and neat. His clothes were to match, sophisticated in style compared to the others.

Looking at all of them, she wondered if she ought to rethink that thought about unusual hair being more common around these parts.

At that moment, she noticed _all eyes were on her_. She came to the realization she may have been staring for too long, and quickly tried to pick back up where she left off.

“I was with someone and got separated. H-he was taking me to the police station because I need their help. I went to sleep last night waiting for an update so I could play a game. I woke up in a place that wasn’t my house and I don’t know how I got here or how to get home!”

“Oh, that’s terrible!” The blond exclaimed, looking even more concerned than before. His eyes widened a moment and he dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out a smartphone. “Do you know where you live? Insomnia’s a pretty big place so it’s understandable if you get lost.”

Joey was nervous about how to answer his question, but chose to answer honestly anyway.

“I live on 54 Granger Street with my parents.” She answered plainly, keeping her gaze on the three young men to have some semblance of focus. Joey was beginning to feel her shoulder’s droop, her eyes feel a little heavy. It was all just so much. There was noise and scenery and people and crowds and nothing at all was familiar. There was no accounting as to how or why. It was too much and it just made her feel overwhelmed and just …

_tired._

“…Granger street? I don’t believe I’ve heard of a street by that name anywhere in the city.” The brunette stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Are you quite sure?”

  


Her eyes flitted to him and she felt anxiety starting to claw at the back of her mind again.

  


“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve lived there all my life. But...” She took a deep breath. “The man who was taking me to find the police before said this place was called Insomnia, too. That it’s the crown city of Lucis.”

  


The blond, whom she recalled being referred to as ‘Prompto’, looked increasingly confused.

  


“Yeah, that’s right.”

  


The brunette was only further inquisitive. “You sound as though you find that strange. In fact, you sound as though you’ve never heard of Insomnia.”

  


Knowing he surely found _her_ answer strange, Joey could only feel herself getting that much more upset. She tried to take a deep breath, hoping it would steady her.

  


“I’m sorry. I know my answer sounds utterly bizarre,” she apologized, starting to step back. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

  


Prompto moved as though he were to reach out a hand, but stopped himself. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m sure if I went to bed and woke up somewhere with no idea how I got there, I’d be freaked out and saying some strange things too. Right, Noct?”

  


The raven-haired man looked back at him. _So he was ‘Noct’, then. Such unusual names here, too,_ she thought. Though the name of the city itself was pretty strange all by itself.

  


“If that’s true, it makes perfect sense to go to the police. I’d want to find a way home if I didn’t know where I was.” He nodded seriously.

  


“I know I didn’t have anything to drink the night before. I was home alone, too,” Joey added. She looked at all three of them. She couldn’t quite tell what each of them were thinking, but all of them seemed to have varying degrees of confusion written on their faces. _Great_ , she thought. _Just great!_

  


“So, you don’t remember anything in between going to bed and waking up where you were?” asked the brunette.

  


“No, nothing.” Joey shook her head. “I really am sorry! I’ll just… I’ll just go. Please forgive me.” She turned to move again, thinking she should probably just continue her search, either to find the police, or Nyx. Whichever she could locate first.

  


“Hey, **wait!** Maybe we can take you the rest of the way!” Prompto’s voice shot up in volume, a clear sign that he wanted to stop her from leaving. Joey guessed he realized how loud he was, as his voice came down when he spoke again. “… Can you tell us your name?”

  


“… Joey. Joey Mcgill.”

  


“Joey? That’s a nice name,” he remarked, “Mine’s Prompto. These are my friends, Noctis and Ignis.” He pointed to the raven-haired and brunette, respectively.

  


Prompto, Noctis, and Ignis. Again, she couldn’t help not that they were odd names to her. Yet, for a fleeting moment she felt that scratching at the back of her mind. There was _something_ familiar about them. _That couldn’t be possible though_ , she mentally retorted. _I’ve never met someone with those names before! … Surely?_

  


“Nice to meet all of you,” Joey replied, nodding slowly. “I’m just as perplexed about this situation I’m in, perhaps even more so. I’m only trying to make sense of it.”

  


“That certainly would be the thing to do in your circumstance,” Ignis agreed. “We could indeed escort you the distance to the police station. We actually drove by it before we parked our car.”

 

Ignis looked at Noctis expectantly. Noctis turned to Ignis and then Prompto, and smiled ever so slightly.

  


“It’d be no problem. Maybe if we’re lucky, the person escorting you before will get there too, and they’ll know you made it there safe.”

  


Joey felt tense muscles relax, not even realizing some were tense to begin with. Even if they were confused by her statements, she was grateful they were willing to help despite that.

  


“Thank you. If you really want to help, I’ll certainly not turn you away. This means a lot!”

  


Prompto grinned for a moment, nodding and stepping to the side.

  


“Of course! Don’t worry about it.”

  


Joey laughed gently. “Well, easier said than done, but I will try.”

  


“Fair enough.” Noctis walked ahead of Joey beside Prompto, Ignis catching up to them and taking the lead. “Come on, it’s just down this way!”

  


Joey picked up her pace, following after them. She walked briskly, staying as close behind them as she comfortably could. She also knew better then to avert her eyes this time.

  


With only a block and a half to traverse, it felt like little time at all before arriving at a brick building. A sign stood out, ‘Insomnia Police, Station 708’ painted across in dark blue lettering. Joey’s eyes flitted to the door, watching the three men walking ahead of her and making a space for her to go inside.

  


_Well, I guess we’re here._

  


“Thank you, guys,” Joey said, looking to each of them as she opened the door. “I know I’ve said that already. But really, I’m grateful for your help.”

  


She took a few steps inside, about to take a look around the place when she heard a familiar voice speaking from farther down.

  


“Yeah, she might have stopped here and I’m hoping she spoke to someone. About yay tall, long brown hair, maybe early to mid twenties?”

  


“Are we talking ash brown like yours? What was she wearing? I’m sorry Sir Ulric, but you’ll need to give me some more details, there are quite a number of young women who come through this area matching that description.”

  


Surely enough, at the end of the room she saw someone at a desk, most likely a receptionist, speaking to Nyx. His brow was furrowed, and one of his hands extended out in a gesture to visualize what he was saying.

  


“Nyx!” Joey called from across the room, quickly darting to the other side to meet him. “I’m so sorry! I turned my eyes away for only a second and then you were gone.”

  


“Joey! There you are. I turned around and saw you weren’t following me anymore and tried looking for you. I came here hoping you’d either be here or I could get someone to help me look.” Nyx sighed, sounding quite relieved.

 

“There were some guys who were nice enough to lead me the rest of the way,” Joey explained. “I’m sure they’re probably getting back to their business but I really owe them!”

  


“Ah! Nyx Ulric. So, you are the one who was escorting Miss Mcgill to the station prior to becoming separated?”

  


Joey was startled by hearing the distinct voice of Ignis from behind her. Indeed, all three of the young men were there behind her.

  


“Yeah. So you found her then, Ignis? If so, I owe you, his highness and your friend my thanks,” Nyx greeted them, giving a respectful bow.

  


The action gave Joey pause, but his words more so. _He knew them? And did he just refer to one of them as ‘your highness’?_ Few countries she knew of still had monarchies in the modern era. That begged the question of exact what country this was exactly. _What country had a province called ‘Lucis’? A city called Insomnia?_

  


She was _still_ unconvinced that this wasn’t all some elaborate dream.

  


Joey took a deep breath, choosing to move her attention away from Nyx and the three men and onto the receptionist a few steps away. She was here to get answers, and she wouldn’t get anywhere standing around. _Besides_ , she thought, _she might cause a scene if she started asking strange questions to them all right in the middle of the police station._

  


“Excuse me,” Joey implored her. “Nyx Ulric escorted me here because I’m lost. I went to bed and woke up in an alleyway and can’t account for how I go there. I was wondering If I could possibly get some help and maybe find my way back.”

  


The receptionist looked visibly disturbed, worried but what Joey had said.

  


“Can I have a name and address?”

  


“Johanna Mcgill,” Joey answered softly. “54 Granger Street…”

  


Before she could finish, the woman was already typing in the information and watching her computer screen. Joey paused, looking off to the side. She hadn’t really taken any time to take in the sights at the station. _But, perhaps she should have sooner._

  


Immediately there were things that stood out. There were certainly things she expected to see in a police station. Officers were walking by, some of them with reports, others with arms. However, what stood out were the _type_ of arms carried, and the attire of some of the officers.

  


Joey’s eyes widened as she saw one of them carrying what looked like a large axe, wearing what looked like a breastplate and bracers over his uniform. Another had what appeared to be a longsword at his side.

  


_And now I’m getting even more convinced this is a dream,_ she thought. _They’ve got to be costumes, right? Who the hell would use swords and axes in this day and age when there are guns? Or wear armor, for that matter?_

  


“No Results.”

  


The sound of the secretary at the desk speaking to her suddenly brought her attention back.

  


“No results?”

  


“That’s what I just said, ma’am.” The receptionist replied coolly. A few clicks of her keyboard followed. Her brow furrowed, and she looked up at Joey with a narrowed gaze.

  


“There is neither a 54 Granger Street or Johanna Mcgill listed in the Citizen database. According to our records, there is no citizen of Insomnia by that name who lives at that address.”

  


_Not super surprising consider she’s not FROM Insomnia,_ she thought. _Okay Joey, you can do this. Just tell her the rest of your address. Remember if shit hits the fan, this is probably a dream anyway._

  


“Okay,” Joey said hesitantly, “M-maybe try Johanna Mcgill, 54 Granger Street, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.”

  


If the secretary at the desk narrowed her eyes any further, they would shut.

  


“Pardon the question, but is this some kind of practical joke?”

  


“No! That’s my _real_ address. I swear.”

  


A few more clicks on her computer. The seconds that past by only fueled Joey’s anxiety. _This can’t be happening. No, this is a dream! It has to be._

  


The upshot in volume in Joey’s voice drew the attention of the four men.

  


“They can’t find your address?” Prompto asked.

  


“No! They can’t. They say there’s no record.”

  


“Hmmm… as I thought.” The secretary looked back at her. “I’ve never heard of either a ‘Brooklyn Park’ or ‘Minnesota’, but to be sure I looked up those terms, and no results came back.”

  


Joey rubbed her hands. Her gaze became unsteady and her shoulders hunched.

  


“That can’t be right. C-can you please look again?”

  


The woman sighed. “No, I can’t. If it didn’t show anything the first time, it won’t change now.”

  


A moment of agonizing silence past. Joey could feel the eyes of the receptionist and the four men on her. At this point, a couple of officers who were walking by overheard what was being said and stopped.

  


“Ma’am, can I have your real name and your real address please?” The receptionist questioned her impatiently. “Are you a recent immigrant to the city? Where is your place of origin? Galahd perhaps? Or maybe somewhere in Caem? Duscae? Or perhaps you’ve come from outside Lucis? I have seen a person or two coming in from Accordo.”

  


For a brief moment those places seemed like they should ring bells, and yet the reason why seemed just out of reach. One thing was certain though.

  


“If you’re here illegally I can get you started on-”

  


“ _No_ ,” Joey asserted. “I’m not an illegal alien. Everything I’ve told you is _true_. Johanna Mcgill is my real name and I really live at 54 Granger Street in Brooklyn Park! I’m sorry if that sounds crazy, but please… please…”

  


Her last sentence trailed off in a soft, desperate whine. She put her hand to her head. The dull pain of her headache was only adding to the building bubble of panic inside of her.

  


“Ma’am, there is no such place, and according to our records, a woman by that name _does not exist_.”

  


The officers began to approach, stopping alongside the desk.

  


“Miss, given what my partner and I have overheard, I think it’s best if you come with us,” one of them asserted before turning to the secretary. “It’s alright, Mrs. Ferros. We can take it from here.”

  


“Thank you, Officer Hildegard.”

  


_Oh god, they’re going to take me into custody. No no no no no no no…_

  


“No no no, please! I’m sorry, I’m so-”

  


She saw Nyx in her peripheral vision about to interject, when another spoke up.

  


“ **Wait**.” Noctis cut in, “I’ll take her!”

  


Everyone fell silent. Both the officers and the secretary looked at him with visible shock.

  


“You’re… you’re Prince Noctis!” The officer who’d spoken before exclaimed. “Your highness, what are you doing here?”

  


Noctis walked to Joey’s side, his gaze not breaking from the officer’s. “At the moment, I’m declaring this woman in royal custody, and that being said, _she is coming with me and my friends_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really want to end this chapter on a cliffhanger, but this got waaaaay longer than originally intended. That being said, the next one should be out soon. 
> 
> What's going on in the minds of Nyx, Prompto, Ignis, and Noctis during all of this? Why does Noctis suddenly step in and declare Joey Mcgill in royal custody? Well, that's for next time. ;)


	4. Chapter 3: Now in Fated Hands

They would probably all agree that what was happening was strange. Yet, the three of them each had their own feelings on the circumstances that unfolded.

  


Prompto had come upon her first, and was initially the most eager to help this stranger in her hour of need. Now, he was utterly baffled, trying to comprehend everything that was happening. She hadn’t appeared at all dangerous, just very clearly confused and upset. Yet the things she had said were utterly baffling!

  


Ignis was perplexed but agreeable to be helpful. Nonetheless, his suspicion was now fully aroused, his mind on high alert. This woman was claiming to be from a place that didn’t exist, to be a person there was no record of. This was in addition of course to the fact she was behaving as though she’d never heard of Insomnia or Lucis. _Something was very wrong_ , he thought. Either this woman’s faculties were deeply affected by something, or perhaps there was a _worse_ possibility.

  


Noctis, on the other hand, had a somewhat different opinion on the matter.

  


“Your highness, if it is permissible for me to speak, are you sure that decision would be wise?”

  


The pair of police officers and receptionist were shocked by the sudden decision of the prince to step in. Especially considering what he had overheard.

  


It came as no surprise that his actions would come into question by the officers, this time the partner of the one who’d spoken before.

  


“I’m afraid I’m inclined to ask that question as well,” Ignis agreed. “Are you so certain your custody would be better suited for her than that of the police? In addition, you need to be wary and consider your own well-being.”

  


Noctis had also found her words odd. But, Noctis was perhaps a more observant person than people gave him credit, and deeply affected by his emotions.

  


“I admit that I’m not sure if I believe her story,” he confessed, still forming his thoughts as he spoke. “But, I’ve noticed something that’s been bugging me.”

  


He turned to Joey, who looked in his direction hesitantly as he did so. He noticed her fingers touched to her temple.

  


“You’ve put your hand to your head at least a couple of times. I’ve been wondering what that’s been about.”

  


Joey removed her hand somewhat reluctantly. “I’ve had a headache since I woke up. It’s gotten a little better since then but… it still hurts.”

  


Noctis nodded. He turned to Nyx, whom he had interrupted before. “Had she said anything before you two got separated?”

  


Nyx found himself standing up a little straighter. He briefly glanced at Joey and gave the prince a firm nod.

  


“Yes. In fact, I was the one who noticed her massaging her temple before and asked her about it. She said her head hurt then, too. That and given the fact it was hard to rouse her at first, and her confusion, I was concerned she might have a concussion.”

  


That was certainly a major reason letting her go with the officers didn’t sit well with him.

  


There were also other points that bothered the prince. She had apologized a few times now, even going so far as to show empathy regarding her words sounding odd and worthy of suspicion and scrutiny. He had seen what genuine anxiety and panic look like, and in his position he had come to learn to look for signs of deceit.

  


Maybe her story was suspect, but he was pretty sure her emotions were genuine. And right now, the police officers and receptionist were making her **more** agitated. _That certainly wouldn’t help the situation, now would it?_

  


“I see,” said Noctis. “She should probably see a doctor then, yeah?”

  


“We would certainly see that a doctor takes a look at her as soon as possible.” The receptionist piped up.

  


“As would I,” he countered. “Listen, I get it. But...” He stopped and sighed. “I think it would be better for her to be with friendly faces until things are sorted out.”

  


“But your highness, she might be mentally unstable or she might be ...” The receptionist’s words trailed off in a sigh, the sentence remaining unfinished.

  


“It is your decision, your highness.”

  


He rested his eyes on Joey once more, who had remained quiet since he had asked her about her head. Her shoulders started to droop, though her hands trembled a little against her sides. She was clearly still shaken up, but now she was starting to come down. _A good sign_ , he thought.

  


“What do you say? This is about your fate, after all.”

  


Joey blinked, gaze falling across everyone involved in the conversation. She felt her heart thrumming against her chest as the question weighed on her.

  


_My fate…_

  


“I would not want to have to put you in a bad position. But… I would prefer not to go with the police. If that means going with you, then I’ll go.”

  


The officers quietly huffed, one of them looking to Noctis and bowing his head. The receptionist did the same.

  


“Very well. We’ll not protest further, your highness,” the officer conceded, though his reluctance was obvious in his tone of voice. “Still, I would advise her being handed over to police custody if something becomes amiss.”

  


Noctis sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright. I’ll bring her to the police if that’s the case. But not before.”

  


He turned around, gesturing for Joey to follow him.

  


“Let’s go.”

  


“O-oh! Alright, I’m coming.”

  


She took one last look at the officers and receptionist, seeing them nervously watching as the four men were beginning to walk out of the station. Joey turned around and followed after them, walking behind the group until they stopped just outside.

  


_So, this ‘Noctis’ guy turn_ _s_ _out to be a prince, and he just steps in and overrules the police’s decision to take me into custody? Just like that? … Is he really allowed to even_ _ **do**_ _that? I suppose either way, it’s off to the nearest doctor next, which is where Nyx had hoped I would go first, anyway._ She inwardly sighed. Even as grateful as she was not to have to go with the police, she now realized she wasn’t out of the woods just yet. That, and this could still all just be a dream. A really _elaborate_ one.

  


“I realize I should have said it back there but… thanks, Noctis.” Joey paused, realizing now that she was probably being impolite knowing what sort of person she addressed now. “Er, Prince Noctis I mean. I apologize, I don’t know if it’s rude to not refer to royalty by their title if you know they’re… well… royalty.”

  


“Noctis is just fine with me,” he assured her, “Don’t think anything of it. You told me earlier you wanted to make sense of your situation. I want to help.”

  


Joey nodded.

  


Ignis adjusted his glasses, his expression serious and determined. “Well then, I suppose the next step would be getting you to the nearest hospital,” he addressed Joey before turning to Noctis. “I’ll need to call Gladio as well and tell him our plans have unexpectedly needed altering.”

  


_The King may also want to know about what’s happening_ , he thought. While it could be a cases of delusion, the fact this woman claimed to be someone who had no records, from an address that did not exist, persisted in bothering Ignis. A concussion _could_ mess with one’s memories, but he’d never heard of it altering them.

  


He had a similar train of thought as the officers and the receptionist, that there was the possibility this ‘Joey Mcgill’ was an illegal immigrant from elsewhere in Lucis, in spite of what she claimed to the contrary.

  


...Or that worse possibility: She could be part of an enemy infiltration gone bad. All the more reason to be cautious, and all the more reason to see what could be learned.

  


“Gladio?” Joey asked. Another name that had a tug of familiarity that shouldn’t.

  


“Oh! Right, you don’t know. Gladio’s what we called Noct’s ‘Shield’. It’s kind of… well… like being a personal bodyguard but for royalty.” Prompto chimed in and explained.

  


“That makes sense. Although… why isn’t he here now then? Shouldn’t a bodyguard be with you?”

  


“He had a family matter to attend to, and I can protect Noctis if need be.” Ignis narrowed his gaze.

 

“Hey, I can fight too, if I have to!” Prompto added. “So can Noct.”

 

_Well, that was certainly comforting,_ Joey thought. But, it was also a point of curiosity. _One that would have to remain such though, considering she was under suspicion._

 

As Joey and the three young men spoke, Nyx listened quietly in the background. It was taking him some time to process the situation, but he was appreciative that things were proceeding as they were. He was thinking that perhaps he would be coming along. After all, he’d found Joey first and she’d probably be most comforted by his presence. In which case he’d need to call his fellow Glaives and tell them he’d be late.

  
Or so he thought. In his quiet pondering, there came a rumbling from his pants pocket. Realizing his phone was going off, he quickly pulled it out, seeing there was a new text message for him. He stepped off to the side politely, quickly unlocking his phone to read it.

 

He sighed.

 

“Nyx…?” Joey couldn’t help overhearing him, his sigh happening in a small silence in the conversation.

 

He shook his head. _Guess I won’t be going then._

 

“My Captain, Drautos, has a new Assignment. I need to report to the Citadel immediately. And… I can’t just call and ask to reschedule. When a Kingsglaive is called, they need to go.”

 

Joey felt her heart sink a bit. This meant that Nyx would be leaving, that much was clear to her.

 

“I see. Well, if you’ve got a job to do, there’s not much you can do about that.”

 

His expression shifted, becoming slightly apologetic, with a tone of voice to match.

 

“I’d go with if I could,” he said. “Will you be okay without me?”

 

Joey didn’t give a verbal response, only nodding slowly. He took a deep breath, straightening himself up once more.

 

“Okay. In that case, I should get going. But, I hope you get the care you need and you get things figured out.”

 

There was a small pause, and in it Joey found in herself the need to speak up.

 

“Wait!” She said, “Before you go, I just want to say thank you… for helping me find my way. Even if I did get lost.”

 

Maybe it was a vain hope, but part of her wanted to see him again if by some chance this was all not a dream. But she kept that thought to herself simply watching him smile kindly in response to what she _had_ said.

 

“Hey, I was glad to help. And I don’t turn my back on someone who needs it.” He slightly bowed his head. “Farewell, Joey.”

“You too, Nyx. Good luck on your assignment!”

  


He gave one last nod, stepping down and walking away from the rest of them. Joey watch as he went, not taking her eyes off until he was out of view. But, once he was gone, she turned her attention back to the others, who themselves were starting to walk down the steps.

 

“Alright, the car’s this way,” Noctis beckoned her.

 

Joey quickly followed after them, immersing herself between the three as they made the trek down the street. She fell quiet, simply listening to the conversation that proceeded between the three of them. They spoke of simple things, of preparing dinner and such when they got home after all was said and done. There was also talk of meetings, reminders of things that needed to be done. At one point Ignis had his phone out, presumably to call this ‘Gladio’ he spoke of earlier.

 

It was a bit strange, hearing ordinary conversation in the midst of all of this. At the same time however, she couldn’t help but find it comforting. She could feel herself relaxing a little more. The tension in her body did not completely disperse, however. Her hands still trembled, and her thoughts still lingered on the worry of what was to become of her. _Well, if this wasn’t all just a dream, of course._

 

Eventually after some ways, they arrived at a sleek, stylish black car parked in the middle of a neat row of other cars in front of a string of shops. Joey stopped to take a further look, but the men were quick to swing the doors open.

 

“It’s not quite like Dad’s Regalia, but it’s still a nice ride,” Noctis found himself remarking, scooting into the backseat. “Hey Joey, would you prefer to sit in the backseat? You can sit here with me and Prompto can take shotgun, or you can take the front seat.”

 

Joey blinked, nervously looking into the interior of the car. “Well… um…” As nice as it would be to sit in the backseat, she didn’t want to push her luck. “I think… I’ll ride in the front next to Ignis.”

 

She started to slide in, taking her place in the front passenger’s seat. Prompto followed Noctis into the backseat, and Ignis closed his door on the driver’s side. He was quick to put the keys in, causing a soft rumble from the car as it came to life.

 

With that, they were off, driving down the road.

 

“Hey Ignis...” Joey wondered aloud. “Are you like a bodyguard then to Prince Noctis too, or an attendant of sorts?”

 

“Officially, I’m his royal adviser,” Ignis answered her, calmly keeping his eyes on the road. “Although I often find myself acting in other capacities. I cook, and as you can see, I sometimes drive as well.”

 

Joey nodded. _Odd_ , she thought. _An adviser that also cooks and drives?_

 

“Ignis is actually a really amazing, cook, Joey,” Prompto replied cheerily. “I should show you some of the pictures I’ve taken of his food. Although it’s nothing quite like tasting it for yourself.”

 

“I’ll bet,” Joey answered, perking up a little. Her body further relaxed, and she slowly slouched into her seat. “I actually like to cook myself, although I don’t really know many recipes yet...”

 

“It’s certainly something that requires a lot of practice and dedication, especially when perfecting a recipe. But, I’m rather proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish in the kitchen.”

 

Ignis found himself almost smiling. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy, especially with Joey being something of an enigma at the moment. Her questions were rather simple and innocent enough. _Fitting_ , for someone who claimed to know nothing of Lucis and Insomnia.

 

“Hey Prompto, what about you?”

 

Prompto blinked at Joey’s question, an embarrassed chuckle escaping from him.

 

“Am I a bodyguard? Nah, I’m just Noct’s friend. We hang out just about all the time, though.”

 

Noctis briefly glanced over at him. Prompto was playing himself down somewhat. He was a civilian, but he was not defenseless. _He just mentioned he could fight earlier, for goodness sake!_ Though, that wasn’t the only thing he was downplaying.

 

“You’re selling yourself short,” he remarked aloud as he leaned against the door, “You’re not _just_ my friend, you’re my best friend.”

 

Prompto smiled, his eyes softening for a brief moment. However, he returned to being energetic and chipper almost instantly.

 

“Right! All the more reason we hang out so much, yeah?” Prompto chuckled.

 

Both Prompto and Noctis began to engage one another in friendly conversation. Rather than interrupting or redirecting, Joey simply listened to the two of them talk, wanting to immerse herself in the noise of conversation around her once more. Her eyes glanced between Ignis and the scenery of the road going by.

 

_When was the last time I was in a car with people close to my own age, enjoying friendly conversation?_ Granted, this wasn’t exactly how she would want to meet people in her peer group. Nor would she consider this exactly a good place to start any friendships.

 

_Was that the point of all this, if she was dreaming? Was this some elaborate, twisted metaphor for her circumstances in life?_

 

The question lingered in her mind as she continued to take in the conversations around her, watching the world go by until a massive complex of alabaster buildings came into view up ahead. Judging from a white vehicle parked out front that appeared to be an ambulance, Joey had a guess that they were arriving at their destination.

 

“Flavia Lucis Caelum Hospital. We are certainly lucky that it wasn’t a long drive,” Ignis noted. He maneuvered around, beginning to look for a parking space. The parking lot certainly wasn’t empty, but there seemed to be spots here and there. Gracefully, Ignis pulled into one he could find closest to the door, and was quick to get up and gesture for others to do the same.

 

Joey scurried out after the three of them, following them to the entrance and through a revolving glass door.

 

The lobby was clean, white, and sterile in apperance. Chairs were neatly lined against the wall, a few people occupying them. A couple of people sat at the front at a circular desk, both typing rhythmically.

 

“Huh… if I didn’t know otherwise, this looks like any other... hospital in-”

 

Joey’s words faltered, the scenery appearing to swirl for a moment, causing her to have to stop. She held out her arms, fearing for a moment she might lose her balance.

 

“… urgh… in B-Brooklyn Park.”

 

“Hey Joey, you alright?” Noctis asked. Prompto also shared a worried glanced with the prince.

 

“It’s okay. I just felt dizzy for a moment,” Joey replied, retracting her arms. She attempted to breathe deeply, hoping returning to a calm stance would help ease any worry. The room became more stable, but the moment left her quite worried.

 

“Why don’t you sit down? I can sit with you while Noct and Iggy get you in to see a doctor.” Prompto suggested, offering a hand.

 

Joey nodded slowly, taking Prompto’s hand for some stability in case moving brought back her dizziness. Ignis nodded approval at the suggestion, looking at both Noctis and Prompto as he did so.

 

“We’ll all be nearby, and this should only take a few minutes at most.”

 

“Alright, in that case, hang tight for a bit, Joey,” Noctis said, turning from Ignis to her to give her a reassuring nod.

 

Ignis and Noctis went to the desk, and Prompto lead Joey to a fairly open part of of the room where plenty of open seats were available. Joey was careful in sitting down. Prompto let go of her hand once she was seated, taking a space a seat over.

 

A quietness fell over the both of them, both looking in different directions and taking in the sights and smells and sounds. Prompto was unsure of what to say at that moment, although he held some concern after Joey had said she felt dizzy. Joey, meanwhile, was still untangling the knots in her mind over what was happening.

 

She turned her head away at just the right time, unaware of someone coming into the lobby and passing the desk. Her mind was searching for something to say to Prompto.

 

She wanted to know more about this world she found herself in. She found herself coming back to the question of whether this was all real over and over in her mind. Perhaps somewhere in the back of it, she hoped that trying to ask more questions, strike up more conversation would sway her one way or the other.

 

_This couldn’t be real, could it? … Couldn’t it?_

 

“Hey there, don’t look so nervous. You’ll be alright, you’ll see!”

 

Joey blinked, realizing someone other than Prompto was speaking to her. She turned to see a willowy man standing rather close to her. He had a rather wide grin on his face, his hands tucked into the pockets of his tweed jacket. She looked at him puzzledly.

 

_Someone just walking by with a passing remark?_

 

“Um… thank you for the well-wishes. But considering where I am, I think I am well within my rights to be nervous.”

 

The stranger took a step closer to her, beginning to encroach on her personal space.

 

“It’ll just freak you out more to be nervous though, right? Maybe you should try smiling.”

 

Prompto raised an eyebrow at him, finding his behavior odd. He could also clearly Joey shrink away from him in her seat. It would be one thing if he had acknowledged her feelings and simply wished her well. Such little exchanges were an everyday occurrence.

 

But this wasn’t the case.

 

“Thank you, but I don’t really feel like smiling right now, sir.”

 

“Sir? Quite formal for such a casual conversation, don’t you think?”

 

Prompto turned to the stranger, folding his arms and furrowing his brow at him. “You working some angle here, buddy? You do realize this is a hospital, right?”

 

The man’s attention was broken and his eyes fell on Prompto. He took a small step back, but did not take his leave.

 

“Just being friendly! Honest.” The stranger nervously eyed Prompto. “My apologies! I didn’t realize you two were together. You her boyfriend?”

 

“No,” Joey quickly attempted to correct him. “He’s not. However, he is my friend.”

 

The air started to feel thick around her, and Joey swallowed nervously as she kept her eyes towards the stranger. It did not escape her vision that someone had come through the main entrance at that moment, approaching the three of them from behind.

 

“B-but...” Joey’s voice began to waver as she reached for some excuse that would dissuade him. _God, the last thing she wanted to do was draw more unwanted attention then she had already attracted._ _Quick!_ She thought. _Make something up!_

 

“My boyfriend is _going_ to be here soon. I d-don’t think he’d be happy seeing someone bothering me or my friend,” she lied.

 

“I _certainly_ wouldn’t.”

 

A husky voice that answered her caught her off guard, distracting her from the grin that formed on Prompto’s face. Not so much where it came from, but what was said.

 

“Oh, m-my love! I’m glad you’re here,” Joey replied, trying to conceal her surprise and play along.

 

The voice belonged to the man she spotted coming in and approaching them. He easily towered over the other man, having muscles that one could see defined under his black athletic shirt. A hand retracted from the pocket of his leather pants, his arms crossing together.

 

“I got held up in traffic. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner,” he said. Amber eyes fixed themselves on the stranger, who was hesitantly turning around to face him. “So, _is_ this guy bothering you?”

 

A scar ran down the left side of his face, long jet black hair and beard framing his features. Feathers were inked across his arms and shoulders. That more than everything else about him drew her gaze.

 

For a moment, Joey simply found herself at a loss for words.

 

“He has made me uncomfortable, y-yes,” she finally managed to utter in response. “… And he’s a little too close for comfort.”

 

“I see,” the man answered, keeping his eye on the stranger. “Well, you heard her. You’re making her uncomfortable and getting in her space. Not to mention our friend ain’t too happy with you either.”

 

“Oh! Well, why didn’t you just say that to begin with?” _At last, it seemed to be sinking in._ “I’ll… um… leave the three of you to it, then.”

 

The man watched as a the stranger stepped away, not breaking his gaze until the other had made his way out the door and disappeared from sight. Once he was gone, however, his eyes went to Joey, who appeared quite shaken up after the encounter.

 

“You didn’t have to do that. But… thank you. I was so scared that just telling him to get lost would cause a scene!”

 

“Hey, it’s no problem. I don’t like creeps who ignore other people’s boundaries.” He tilted his head. “Are you going to be okay?”

 

Her gut felt like it was twisting in knots after that. Any more stress and she felt like she might scream. It was already bad enough with being in a place she didn’t know and people thinking she might be _crazy_. The throbbing in her head wasn’t helping matters, either.

 

_It seemed like it was starting to actually get_ _ **worse**_ _after that mess._ Well, a _t least that other man was gone._

 

“I think so.” She nodded slowly. “But my stomach hurts a little now. I think my headache is coming back too. But, I suppose all of that can get taken care of when the doctor sees me.”

 

Prompto looked up to see Noctis and Ignis approaching to where they were from the desk, and breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Well, that won’t be long now. Noct and Ignis are coming back.”

 

He then turned his attention to the man in front of them, cracking a smile.

 

“Thanks, Gladio. I could have handled it though.”

 

Joey blinked. _Oh! This is… Gladio, then?_ Now that the name was paired with a face, Joey could swear there was something familiar about him. _But why?_

 

“Probably. But, it never hurts to have a little more backup, right?”

 

Prompto cocked his head to one side. “I suppose not.” He turned to Joey, trying to return to a more pleasant demeanor. “Hey, Joey, this is Gladio, the guy we mentioned earlier who’d be meeting us.”

 

She looked at him, and then to Gladio, offering out a hand to him.

 

“It’s nice to meet you Gladio! My name is Joey,” she greeted him. “A-and thank you again… for stepping in.”

 

He took her hand, giving it a friendly but firm shake.

 

“Like I said it’s no trouble. Nice to meet you too, Joey,” he replied, looking both at her and Prompto. “Iggy called and filled me in a little about what was happening. Sounds like quite the conundrum you have on your hands.”

 

“Well, that’s one way to put it,” Prompto hesitantly agreed.

 

“Gladio!”

 

Ignis and Noctis finally joined the group. Gladio turned, nodding at the two of them.

 

“Hey. Luckily I wasn’t too far from you guys when you called. So then,” he spoke to Ignis, glancing at Joey for a brief moment, “You mentioned on the phone needing to detour to the nearest hospital because you found a woman and Noctis insisted on taking her. Would Joey here be her?”

 

“Indeed. Thankfully, Noctis and I have checked her in and she should be able to see a physician shortly.”

 

Gladio knitted his brows.

 

“Well, that’s good. Perhaps the doc will be able to put any worries to rest.”

 

It was clear to Gladio that Ignis was quite concerned. It seemed sensible to be concerned for the well-being of another person, especially if they needed to go to a hospital. But, Gladio knew and worked with Ignis. What he had been told on the phone was only part of the story. Well, the part Gladio had needed to hear in order to change his own plans accordingly with those of everyone else.

 

“We can only hope,” Noctis remarked, taking the other open seat next to Joey. “In the meantime I think I’m going to sit here and wait, if that’s alright.”

 

A smile tugged at Gladio for a moment. He was about to speak, offering what he thought to be a clever reply, when Ignis spoke up first.

 

“Please forgive me, I need to step away for a moment.”

 

Noctis looked up and nodded. Gladio and Prompto also nodded in response, and with that, Ignis took his leave. The three remaining men stayed with Joey, waiting for her to be called.

 

Ignis in the meantime, found a quiet place outside the hospital away from others who might pry with eyes and ears. He breathed deeply, and took out his phone. There was still the matter of calling King Regis and informing him of what was happening.

 

Ignis dialed the number, and for a long moment, he waited for an answer.

 

“Hello?” A low, placid voice answered on the other end of the line.

 

“Your Majesty, it’s Ignis Scientia,” he said, recognizing the voice as that of the king. “I apologize if I have interrupted anything important.”

 

“You haven’t Ignis,” King Regis assured him, “Is everything alright?”

 

“There is a matter I wish to inform you of, Your Majesty. Today, while we were out and about, we encountered a rather… unusual woman that Prince Noctis has since taken under his wing.”

 

“Hmmm. I see,” said the king, a little concern starting to color his own tone of voice. “It sounds like you are quite troubled about the matter. Tell me, what happened exactly?”

 

“...I am quite troubled indeed. I am worried about Noctis’s judgment in this matter considering what has transpired.”

 

Ignis began to recount the events of that afternoon to the king as best he could, from first encountering Joey on the street to what happened at the police station. He spoke of Noctis taking her into his custody over letting her be taken by the police, and the subsequent journey to the hospital where they were now. He tried to spare no important details.

 

“… It deeply concerns me that this woman has no records to speak of, at least under the name she claims. More still, she spoke of being from a place that doesn’t exist. It would be one thing if she was mentally ill,” he confided, “I however, have never heard of a possible concussion drastically altering memories, certainly never in such a way. She doesn’t show signs of being deceitful but… The possibility she might be someone affiliated with Niflheim and that this is a charade to distract from that _has_ crossed my mind. It would put my mind at ease if there was a way to definitively confirm this woman’s identity.”

 

There was a momentary pause. Though Ignis could not see him, he assumed that King Regis was carefully considering what he had just been told. _As he ought to_ , he thought. _After all, this concerned the safety and well-being of his son._

 

“Your concern is completely understandable, given what you’ve told me,” the king finally responded. “So, you said that her name is Johanna Mcgill and she was found near the corner of 7th and Lazarus?”

 

“That’s correct. As I said, the Glaive Nyx Ulric is the one who found her,” Ignis confirmed.

 

“Right,” King Regis acknowledged, “… I agree this situation is quite strange, to say the least. _I am also inclined to agree with you that confirming her identity would bring light to the situation._

 

“It should be a simple thing to do, especially if a genetic sample can be collected during her testing at the hospital. If she truly has a concussion, they will want to keep her for a while for observation and recovery, no doubt. In the meantime, I believe I know someone who can investigate the matter of her identity quickly and quietly. If she is a danger to Noctis, that will be uncovered and steps can be taken from there.”

 

Ignis breathed a sigh of relief. It was a great comfort to have the king on his side, or at the very least willing to look into the matter. Even if his worst fears proved to be false, it was better to investigate and have that be uncovered.

 

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I appreciate your understanding in this matter.”

 

“No Ignis, it is you I should be thanking. Your dedication and diligence have always impressed me, and have yet to be anything less than superlative. Please, continue to remain at my son’s side as you are.”

 

“I will do so unfailingly, Your Majesty. I swore an oath to Prince Noctis, to protect him.”

 

With that, the conversation ended, and Ignis said his farewells to the king. He stood up a little more confidently, finding himself thinking of the next steps that needed to be taken. He put his phone away, and went back inside to rejoin the others.

 

As he came back through, a nurse came walking into the lobby, a clipboard in her hands.

 

“Johanna Mcgill?” She called out, “You can come on back now. The doctor is ready to see you.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a bit longer than I wanted to finish, but at last it's out! I realize things are kinda moving at a slow pace. But I have a feeling things are gonna pick up down the road here. ;) Enjoy and stay tuned for the next installment.


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